Prosecutors claim Hibs striker Doidge was stamped on in cup tie betting con

Elgin City striker Kane Hester denied deliberately stamping on Christian Doidge during a cup match so he would get booked by referee Willie Collum.

Hester is alleged to have plotted before the match with three others to place a series of bets on him being booked by the referee.

The charge against Hester, Findlay Soutar, Calvin Parrot and Brodie Stewart Myles alleges that they duped bookmaker Bet365 out of £13,583.

The quartet are alleged to have hatched the plot to bet on Hester being booked almost a week before the Betfred League Cup tie between Elgin City and Hibs on 26 July 2019.

They deny 'forming a fraudulent scheme to obtain money by placing bets that Kane Hester would receive a booking by the referee during the match' at Boroughbriggs Stadium in Elgin.

The charge alleges the four men, who all come from Montrose, Angus, carried out the con between 20 July and 2 August 2019 and received £17,333.32 in payments from Bet365. The charge alleges £13,583.32 was obtained as unlawful winnings.

The quartet are alleged to have agreed that 'Kane Hester would purposely commit a foul during the course of the match and receive a booking from the referee.'

They are alleged to have placed five separate bets on Hester being booked, and he is alleged to have been shown a yellow card for stamping on the Welsh frontman.

An alternate version of the charge alleges they cheated at gambling by placing five bets on Hester being booked and that he was shown a yellow card for a foul, leading to them falsely obtaining £13,583.32 in winnings.

Hester, 25, Soutar, 24, Parrot, 26, and Myles, 27, all denied the charge when the case against them called at Dundee Sheriff Court .

Hester was the only one who appeared in person and he was excused attendance at the next calling of the case after his solicitor described him in court as "a working man."

The court was told that certain areas of evidence could be agreed between the Crown and defence agents, but that experts would need to analyse the Crown's phone evidence ahead of the scheduled trial.

The case will call again in the summer, but no trial date has been set yet because of restrictions on multiple accused trials due to social distancing rules. Hester has scored eight goals in 12 games for Elgin City this season and has been booked four times and sent off once.

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